Putting a Hex on Quality: In China and Beyond

Last week, my colleague, Tony Poshek, pointed me to an article on CNN that that explains a phrase the Chinese use to "describe people who make, sell or profit from fake or dangerously low-quality goods, in addition to the illicit products themselves. Literally translated, it means black-hearted." This phrase, "Hexin", is something which we could use closer to home as well. The US has a long history of products with clouded safety records where manufacturers knew of a problem before releasing their wares on the market. Consider the recent baby car seat scandal that the Chicago Tribune exposed as just a start. After all, it's not just China who has this problem. Fortunately, product liability laws encourage US companies to take a harder look at what they're bringing to market, lest it cost them in the end. Perhaps the Chinese could learn a thing or two from us in this regard.